(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a water-jet, power-driven water craft and, in more particular, to a self-halt device for such water craft.
(2) Description of the Invention
In the past, various types of water-jet, power-driven water craft with automatic engine control devices have been developed and used in which, should the user be inadvertently displaced therefrom during cruising, the engine is automatically stopped or rendered to idling state allowing the water craft to stand floating or gyrating on the spot within such a distance that the displaced user can swim over and recapture it. One such an example is disclosed in published Japanese patent application No. 54-30197 in which the handle bar of the water craft is normally urged to turn in one direction about its axis by a spring to a gyration position where the steering nozzle for the jet discharge is dislocated to cause the vehicle to gyrate. In operation, the user keeps the handle bar turned to a cruising position against the spring force, with the handle-bar grip held turned to a desired speed position against resilient force acting to rotate the grip back to a position where the engine is set to idling. With this arrangement, should the driver be inadvertently thrown off board, the handle bar will automatically spring back and the grip is released to its normal position thereby causing the vehicle to gyrate at low idling speed.
However, those water crafts with conventional engine control devices have been found to pose problems. For example, with ones with the engine stopper, restarting the engine, after the displaced user has recaptured the water craft, demands a vast amount of electricity consumption, in the case of a cell motor starter, or human labor, in the case of a recoil type starter. With water crafts equipped with the system that, upon the user being off aboard, permits cooling water into the exhaust line, the serious disadvantage is that water can flood the engine through the exhaust line so that restarting the engine becomes considerably difficult.
In addition, with those having the device that causes the water craft to gyrate on the spot at low speed when the user is inadvertently displaced therefrom, the spring used to urge the handle bar constantly in one direction is under stress during operation when the driver holes the handle bar turned to operating positions against the action of the spring. Thus, springs in those water crafts are liable to breakdown due to fatigue from stress as a result of prolonged operation. The present invention has been proposed to overcome the above-mentioned operational disadvantages of prior art self-halt devices.